When is an ultrabook not an ultrabook? When it fails to meet all of Intel's strict power and design requirements, of course. But that isn't stopping PC makers from borrowing some of the cutting-edge device's form factor to make new vanilla notebook models more appealing.
Digitimes reports that Taiwanese PC makers will release tweaked notebooks this spring to spur sales ahead of the release of powerful new Ivy Bridge-powered ultrabooks, which may not hit the market until summer. The reconfigured models, which will be as slim as an ultrabook but lack the super-powered guts, should cost around $600, the site's sources claim.
The successor to the Sandy Bridge chip, Ivy Bridge is expected to bring more raw power and a longer battery life to the next-gen notebook initiative. Another benefit of the new chipset's implementation: cheaper Sandy Bridge ultrabooks.
Acer President Jim Wong said his company's debut model the Aspire S3 could see a $100-$200 price drop this year, and then fall to $500 in 2013. The Taiwan-based outfit showed off what it's calling the "world's thinnest ultrabook," the Ivy Bridge Aspire S5, at CES 2012. Several other companies, including Fujitsu and Samsung, are also looking to make a splash this year with their own ultrabook designs.
